The Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses at Pipa Mountain

The Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses at Pipa Mountain

The Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses at Pipa Mountain is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses at Pipa Mountain is located at No. 138 Nanxinzhuang West Road, Nanxinzhuang Subdistrict, Huaiyin District, Jinan City, dating back to 1937.

Located at No. 138 Nanxinzhuang West Road, Huaiyin District, Jinan City, within the Jinan Testing Machine Factory and south of Pipa Mountain. On December 27, 1937, after the Japanese invasion forces occupied Jinan, the 12th and 43rd Armies under the Japanese North China Area Army forcibly relocated residents from the western suburbs of Jinan to live at the foot of Pipa Mountain in the autumn of 1940. They were made to dig pits, build walls, and construct fortifications, turning the site into a killing ground. From the winter of 1940 to the autumn of 1945, the Japanese invasion forces carried out countless brutal massacres of Chinese soldiers and civilians at the foot of Pipa Mountain, leaving the area littered with corpses and bones, which led locals to call it the “Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses.” To collect evidence of war crimes committed by Japanese invaders, in December 1954, following instructions from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Jinan Procuratorate and other units excavated eight pits at the “Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses,” uncovering 746 relatively intact sets of human remains, with countless more disorganized bones that could not be counted. This confirmed the heinous crimes of the Japanese invasion forces in slaughtering Chinese soldiers and civilians and provided solid evidence for the trial of Japanese war criminals. According to factory employees, the entire factory site was within the area of the “Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses,” approximately 200 meters east-west and 150 meters north-south. Over the years, numerous skeletal remains have been unearthed during factory expansion and excavation work. In 1990, all employees of the Jinan Testing Machine Factory contributed funds to build a small memorial square and the “Pipa Mountain Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses Monument” at the southern foot of Pipa Mountain. The monument base measures 94 cm in length (east-west), 24 cm in thickness, and 70 cm in height, in the style of a Sumeru pedestal. The main body of the monument consists of three pieces of black marble, measuring 80 cm in length, 40 cm in height, and 10 cm in thickness. The front is inscribed with the words “Pipa Mountain Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses Monument,” while the back lists the names and donation amounts of some donating employees from the Jinan Testing Machine Factory. In May 1995, the Publicity Department of the Jinan Municipal Committee designated it as a patriotic education base and erected a commemorative plaque. The Pit of Ten Thousand Corpses site is inextricably linked to the development of Chinese and even world history. It is an important physical testament in Jinan documenting Japan’s invasion of China and massacre of the Chinese people, holding significant historical and educational value. On December 20, 2013, it was designated by the Jinan Municipal Government as part of the fourth batch of municipal-level cultural relic protection units, and on June 23, 2015, it was designated by the People’s Government of Shandong Province as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units.

Nanxinzhuang Subdistrict: Office of Nanxinzhuang Subdistrict. Covering an area of 2.02 square kilometers, it currently has over 9,000 households and nearly 30,000 residents. The area enjoys convenient transportation, with national highway 104, Jingshi Road, and Jinqi Road passing through. Educational, cultural, and medical conditions are excellent, with institutions such as Jinan Children’s Hospital, Jinan Fifth People’s Hospital, and Nanxinzhuang Primary School. The Nanxinzhuang Community Health Service Center is a provincial model center. The area has a thriving industrial, commercial, and service sector, including enterprises such as Jinan Second Machine Tool Group, Jinan Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Hualian Supermarket, and China Eastern Airlines Building. Scenic spots in the area include Dingzi Mountain, Pipa Mountain, and Huaiyuan Square. … More detailed information about Nanxinzhuang Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Fourth Batch of Jinan Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units